Carlo Ancelotti was eager to deflect all the praise onto his Real Madrid players after seeing them set a new club record for consecutive wins.
Los Blancos’ 2-1 victory at Malaga on Saturday night was their 16th straight triumph, eclipsing the previous record of 15 set by Jose Mourinho in 2011/2 and Miguel Munoz in 1960/1.
But Ancelotti, who is currently negotiating an extension to his contract at the Bernabeu, insisted the players are the ones responsible for their tremendous run of form.
He said: “People will give me the credit, but the key to the record is that I coach fantastic players. “This is like a dream, but it is reality. We are very happy with this run of form and it will hopefully continue. I have deep admiration for these players.”
.@MrAncelotti: "The key to the record is that I am fortunate to coach a fantastic team" http://t.co/adHJxMED9B pic.twitter.com/F7VHwT3qeC
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) November 29, 2014
Although Madrid’s goalscoring exploits have been phenomenal in recent months, with Saturday’s two goals taking their tally to an astonishing 59 in the last 16 matches – an average of nearly four per game – Ancelotti was particularly keen to highlight the team’s efforts at the other end of the field.
“I am slightly surprised with some of the players’ attitudes towards their defensive duties, for example James, Isco, and Bale,” he said.
“The team is compact and they work hard. “As I have said a number of times, defending is simply a question of attitude.”
Ancelotti is also ready to launch an appeal against the red card shown to Isco, who appeared to win the ball in the process of making the challenge which led to his second caution late in the game.
Madrid are almost certain to extend their winning run to 17 games, with their next game coming up tomorrow against third tier Cornella in the second leg of their Copa del Rey tie, with Ancelotti’s men leading 4-1 after the first leg.
